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The Miss Elkhart County Scholarship Program is for young women between the ages of 17 and 24 and the Miss Elkhart County’s Outstanding Teen Program is for young women between the ages of 13 and 17 (must still be in high school). You must live in or attend school full-time in Elkhart County to be eligible – in other words, you can be in college at another school not in Elkhart County if your “home” residence is still in Elkhart.

Miss Elkhart County contestants compete in interview, talent, evening wear, on stage question, and lifestyle and fitness in swimwear.

Teen Contestants compete in interview, talent, evening wear, on stage question, and lifestyle and fitness in sportswear.

ABOUT OUR SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION

Interview: 25%

Based on an overall first impression; contestant’s personal platform – knowledge,understanding and commitment to purpose; ability to fulfill job responsibilities; sense of accomplishments – above and beyond statement of achievements on resume; confident and commanding presence; personality, appearance, and attractiveness; validated opinions and responses; and exceptional communication skills – speech, vocabulary, and grammar.

Contestants should wear interview-appropriate attire. Considering each contestant’s style and taste, it may include a skirt and sweater, a pants suit, or a skirt suit. Although they should appear ready for an interview, it should still be age-appropriate.

Talent: 35%

Based on an overall first impression; selection and performance – distinguishes personality and skill; interpretive ability/technical skill level – execution, technique, synchronization and control; stage presence – on-stage personality; total of all elements – including costume, props, music, voice, use of the body and choreography; and whether the judges enjoyed the presentation.

Costumes and music (if applicable) should be appropriate to the talent selected.

Evening Wear: 20%

Based on an overall first impression; beauty, attractiveness, and charm; sense of confidence; personality and stage presence; walk, posture, carriage, and grace; sense of style and appropriateness of the evening wear; and does she command the stage and is her presence felt “beyond the footlights”?

Contestants should wear a formal evening gown (i.e. a prom-style gown) that reflects her personality and style. It should be a minimum length of mid-calf (although floor-length is suggested) and age-appropriate.

Lifestyle & Fitness in Swimsuit: 15%

Based on an overall first impression; attractiveness and presence: lifestyle statement of strong physical health – demonstrating if the contestant is physically fit; walk, posture, carriage, and grace; sense of confidence and composure; display of energy, charisma and expression; and does she meet the public expectation of a titleholder?

Contestants should wear a one or two-piece swimsuit that fits the shape of her body, and compliments her figure. Embellishments should be kept to a minimum as they can be a distraction. Color of swimsuit is at the discretion of the contestant but should flatter the skin tone and hair color of the contestant.

On-stage Question(s): 5%

Based on an overall first impression; charisma and stage presence to be a spokeswoman for the state/local organization; special attention given to whether or not the contestant answered the question in context in which it was asked; whether the contestant is able to handle the pressure of being questioned and responding in front of an audience; displays a commanding presence, ability to make the audience want to listen to her; and whether her peers will view her as a role model who is reflective of today’s generation.

The question will be based on a topic covered during the contestant’s private interview, general knowledge, and/or current events. It could also include drawing a question from a “fishbowl” at random.

*Please note that these are the general percentages used for judging at the local, state, and national levels, and they are subject to changes at the discretion of the local, state, and national programs.

The Miss Elkhart County Program is affiliated with the Miss America Organization. The Miss and Teen winners go on to compete at Miss Indiana and then to Miss America.

Next Steps…

Find out more about the Miss Elkhart County Scholarship Pageant…

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